Time.news – He Furniture expo, on its 61st birthday, marks a double return: that of Chinese visitors, which “judging by the number of visa applications” will be considerable, and that of its usual position in the calendar. After the postponement of the latest editions due to the pandemic, the international design kermesse will be held in Fiera Milano in Rho, in April, from 18 to 23. It will be a rich edition, with 1,962 exhibitors, including over 550 young talents under 35 and 27 design schools.
And an increasingly international audience. Because if it is true that there will be a lack of Russian buyers and exhibitors, their absence will be balanced by the growing presence of “new operators, such as the Arab Emirates but also India” and the return of China.
“We are expecting a large number of quality visitors”. The Salone will present itself to the world with a new look. “The layout will be completely new – explained the president Maria Porro – with the exhibitors all on one level to facilitate the flows and the path inside the hall. There will be a grande focus su Eurolucethe biennial dedicated to light, with a radically new format which is the beginning of a journey that will affect the entire fair”.
On the other hand, after three years, it was unthinkable to return to April, the traditional position of the event in the calendar, as if nothing had happened. And this is how cultural spaces have been conceived, through interdisciplinary contents, which will range from architecture to art, with exhibitions (such as that of Hèléne Binet), talks, workshops, site-specific installations.
“The pandemic has radically changed our way of experiencing major events and this change could not go unheard – explains Porro -. We are a huge event, we are present and this is its strength, it is global. We thought it was It’s time to relaunch the exhibition proposal by putting ourselves in attack, giving more value to the center of the show, that is, to be an important trade moment, a platform that accelerates business”.
And since visit the fair with its over 170,300 m2 of surface area is demanding, “we realized that the visitor needed rest areas, a place to recharge the phone and a place to have a meeting with someone met at the Salone”.
For the mayor of Milan Beppe Sala, the Saloni are like “The Olympics of Design“. It’s an appointment that requires a lot of work “but if you respect the ‘Milanese’ rules a little, then everything works out. Milan is ready to welcome designers, planners, architects and manufacturers, as well as visitors and tourists who love design and the innovative variations that the Salone, inside and outside the spaces of the Fair, will be able to offer them”.
And yes, because there is also the whole rich world of the Fuori Salone, the events that enliven the city on those same dates. All the innovations mentioned by the president will also involve Euroluce, now in its 31st appointment, which will be renewed in the exhibition layout, redesigned by the Lombardini22 studio to ensure a better connection between the four pavilions, simplify the visit itinerary, which becomes a loop and takes inspiration from the road routes of traditional Italian villages.
Light will also be the star of the opening night, which for the third consecutive year will ‘go on stage’ at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. This year, both the symphonic program and the ballet will have light as their suggestion and leitmotif. In particular, the ballet on the piece Light by Philip Glass will be a world premiere, an original choreography, designed and created ad hoc for the Salone and its biennial.
Light and the American Twentieth Century will be the theme of the second part with a program performed by the Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Maestro Carlo Boccadoro, with the participation of the soprano Lauren Michelle. Great expectations as always for the Satellite show, an interesting forge of the best ideas. “There will be over 550 young people from 34 countries – said the creator and curator of the satellite, Marva Griffin – and 27 design schools, the most important in the world, because this year the theme is dedicated to them. They will have to tell us ‘where the design goes'”.
Do not miss the appointment with the famous architect Cajetan Fishinvited to tell the main steps of his long career and his interdisciplinary contribution to the world of design but also to convey inspiration, energy and passion to the young talents who will listen to him.